IOWA FFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

BYLAWS

Adopted: February 12, 2005

Amended: Fe
bruary 11, 2006

January 20, 2007

January 17, 2009

January 16, 2010

January 15, 2011

January 21, 2012

January 19, 2013

January 17,2015

BYLAWS

OF THE IOWA FFA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I

Name/Emblem

Section I.The name of this National FFA Alumni Association affiliate shall be the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.

Section II.The emblem of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association is a triangular shield with an FFA emblem and the word “Alumni” below and the word “Iowa” above.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be:

A. To support and promote FFA activities and agricultural education on local, state and national levels.

B. To provide a tie to and assist FFA and agricultural education personnel to involve former members, supporters and volunteers in worthy activities.

C. To promote greater knowledge of the agricultural industry and support education in agriculture.

D. To cooperate with the Iowa FFA Association, local FFA Alumni Affiliates, Iowa FFA Foundation, and the National FFA Alumni Association.

E. To promote and maintain an appreciation of the American free enterprise system.

F. To promote the personal development of the FFA, FFA alumni members and volunteers.

ARTICLE III

Organization

Section I.The Iowa FFA Alumni Association is an affiliate of the National FFA

Alumni Association.

Section II.The Iowa FFA Alumni Association consists of chartered local affiliates organized on a school, county, or at-large basis.

Section III.Local affiliates

Local affiliates shall be eligible to become chartered when:

  1. The affiliate has at least 10 charter members who have paid state and national dues.
  2. The affiliate has bylaws and/or constitution, which are in harmony with the Iowa and National FFA Alumni Association.
  3. The affiliate has an executive group with officers.

Section IV.Membership-at-Large

Membership-at-Large is designated for a member that does not have a local affiliate and pays dues directly to the Iowa and National Association.

Section V.Reports and Audits

A.Books and records of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association may be inspected by any member or their agent at any reasonable time.

B.There shall be an annual audit of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.

C.A summary of this audit will be made available at the Iowa FFA Alumni Association annual business meeting.

D.The fiscal year and reporting year are from January 1st to December 31st.

E.The chairman of the finance committee will appoint the audit committee to review the financial records.

ARTICLE IV

Membership

Section I.Eligibility

  1. Membership shall be open to active, collegiate, former, honorary FFA members, both present and former professional agricultural educators, and others interested in supporting agricultural education.
  2. Membership in the FFA Alumni Association includes many rights, benefits, and privileges, however, no level of membership entitles any member to act for and/or on behalf of any local affiliate, the Iowa FFA Alumni Association, any state association, or the National FFA Alumni Association; regarding any policy or position, unless granted by and through these bylaws and/or is otherwise granted specifically, in writing, by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.

Section II.Types of Membership

  1. Associated Membership

1.Is a no cost state and national membership that is provided to potential members annually.

2.Associate membership will entitle member to quarterly information from Iowa and National FFA Alumni Association.

3. Associate membership will not be included in membership or award programs.

4.There will be a five year limit on the associate membership.

B.Annual Membership

1.All annual members have equal class and privileges.

2.Is a 12-month period to run concurrent with the National FFA Alumni membership year.

3.Annual membership dues of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association

shall be recommended by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors and fixed by a majority vote of the delegates present at the annual meeting.

  1. Local affiliates may establish their own membership dues for annual membership in addition to the state and national dues.

C. State Life Membership

  1. All life members have equal class and privileges; there are no associate, honorary, privileged or lesser classes of membership.
  2. Is designated as the life of the member.
  3. State life dues of Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be recommended by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors and fixed by a majority vote of the delegates present at the annual meeting.
  4. Local affiliates may establish their own life membership dues in addition to the state and national dues.

Section III.Policy for Member in Good Standing

A.All members must meet requirements to be considered a member in good standing and be eligible for the following:

1. Run for a position on the alumni state board of directors.

2. Request state support for National FFA Alumni Council application.

3. Receive state alumni awards and/or recognition.

4. Represent the Iowa FFA Alumni Association in any way.

5.To vote at meetings.

B.Requirements for members to be in good standing:

1. Paid membership dues.

2. Do not have any outstanding debt to local, state or national FFA Alumni.

ARTICLE V

Officers

Section I.The officers of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association will be the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President and Secretary.

Section II.Duties/qualifications of officers

  1. President
  2. The President shall be the individual who has served as President-Elect the previous year.
  3. The President will be the principal officer of the Association.
  4. It will be the President’s duty to preside at all meetings of the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Iowa FFA Alumni Association and to carry out the general mission and objectives of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.

4. The President will be an ex-officio member of all committees, except for the nominating committee, which they will be a full member.

  1. President-Elect
  2. The President-Elect, at the direction of the President, will act in the President’s behalf, and perform such duties as are usual and customary of a vice president.
  3. Any candidate for the office of President-Elect must first have been elected at a previous conference by the delegates to any other elected or appointed position on the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors and completed at least one year of service in that position.

3.Likewise, the Past President or other retired council members may not be a candidate for President-Elect without first being elected again and serving one year on the Board.

  1. Past President
  2. Shall be the Immediate Past President of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.
  3. Should the Secretary not be able or available to perform the assigned duties of that office, the immediate Past President will assume the duties of that office until such time as the Secretary is able to resume such duties or until the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors appoints a person to complete the unexpired term of office of the Secretary.
  4. Should the President-Elect and the Executive Director not be able or available to perform assigned duties simultaneously, the Secretary will assume the duties of the President-Elect and the Immediate Past-President will assume duties of the Executive Director.

D.Secretary

  1. Should the President-Elect not be able or available to perform the assigned duties of that office, the Secretary will assume the duties of that office until such time as the President-Elect is able to resume such duties or until the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors appoints someone to complete the unexpired term of office of the President-Elect
  2. Should the Executive Director not be able or available to perform assigned duties, or on an interim basis, the Secretary will assume the duties of the Executive Director until such time as the Executive Director is able to resume such duties or until the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Committee recommends and the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors ratifies an Interim Executive Director.
  1. Should the President-Elect and Executive Director not be able or available to perform assigned duties at the same time, the Secretary will assume the duties of the President-Elect and the Immediate Past-President will assume the duties of the Executive Director.

Section III.Nomination and Selection

  1. President

1. The President of the association will be the previous years

President-Elect unless 2/3 of the delegates vote to remove the President-Elect from office.

2. If the President-Elect is removed from office, the position of President will be filled via nominations by the delegates from qualified Board members.

3.Once removed from office that individual may never again serve on the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

  1. President-Elect
  1. Candidates for President-Elect will be selected from qualified

members of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

  1. President-Elect Election Process
  1. Nominations will be taken for the office of President-Elect
  2. In the event in which only one candidate is nominated, the following procedure will still occur.
  3. Qualified candidates nominated for the office of President-Elect will be elected by the registered Iowa FFA Alumni Association members present at the Iowa FFA Alumni Annual Conference according to nominating policies.
  1. Past President

The retiring President will serve as the Immediate Past President.

  1. Secretary

The Secretary shall be elected by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors from one of the board members currently serving.

Section IV.Terms of Office

All officers will serve for one year or until a successor is elected or appointed to that office.

ARTICLE VI

Executive Board

Section I.The executive body of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors.

Section II.The Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors shall consist of 18 people.

  1. Iowa FFA Alumni Association President
  2. Iowa FFA Alumni Association President-Elect
  3. Six district representatives
  4. Four at-large representatives
  5. One Iowa FFA Officer
  6. IAAE representative
  7. Immediate past Iowa FFA Alumni Association President
  8. The Iowa FFA Alumni Association Advisor, the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Director and the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Iowa FFA Association, shall serve as non-voting ex-officio members.
  9. National FFA Alumni Council Representative (when applicable) will be an ex-officio member of the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors.

Section III.Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors

  1. One person from each of the six Iowa FFA Association Districts shall be elected by district members present at the Iowa FFA Alumni Association annual conference. They shall serve a one-year term, with a maximum of four consecutive terms.
  1. Each district representative must have alumni membership within their respective district during their entire tenure of service.
  2. If for any reason the representative no longer has their alumni membership in their elected district, the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors has the right and responsibility to review the situation, and determine if that individual continues to carry the capability to serve adequately the members of their elected district.
  3. If it is found that they do carry the capability to serve adequately, the issue will be considered resolved.
  4. If it is found that they do not carry the capability to serve adequately, they shall be requested and/or made, to resign their elected position, and the Board of Directors shall appoint a qualified member to serve the rest of said term. The resigning representative may apply for and seek election to any position of which they are qualified, at subsequent Iowa FFA Alumni Association Annual Conferences.
  1. The Iowa FFA Alumni Association Advisor shall be appointed by the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors.
  2. At-large representatives will be elected by the membership at the annual conference for a two year consecutive term with a maximum of four years. Two of the four at-large representatives will be elected at each annual conference, thereby allowing for staggered at-large directorships.
  3. If there is no candidate applying for a board position in which the current board member has reached his or her term limit, the individual can serve interim until a replacement board member is found. This must, however, be approved by the board.

Section IV.The Iowa FFA Alumni membership present at the Annual Meeting shall elect from those listed in Section II, 3 and 4, the President-Elect.

Section V.The delegates may submit nominations for Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors.

Section VI.It shall be the duty of the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors to direct the operation of the association in accordance with its constitutional purposes.

Section VII.Removal of Membership

  1. Any board member will be removed from directorship with a two-thirds vote of the board. Reasons for removal include but are not limited to: failure to attend board meetings or other required events, or a proven illegal act or other activity that is harmful to the board or the Iowa FFA or any Team AgEd organization.
  2. If a board position becomes vacant during the year, the board openings will be appointed by the president and approved by the board until the next annual conference.

ARTICLE VII

Executive Committee

Section I.Composition

  1. The Executive Committee will consist of the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and Secretary.
  2. The Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Director shall serve as an Ex-officio committee member.

Section II.Duties/Responsibilities

The Executive Committee will perform the duties as prescribed by these bylaws and those that are delegated to them by theIowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII

Meetings

Section I.The Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors shall meet quarterly and at such times called for by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association President, Executive Director, or a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Section II.There shall be an annual meeting of the membership of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association. The Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors may call additional membership meetings.

Section III.Time of the annual meeting and any other necessary meetings of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be held at such place and time as prescribed by theBoard of Directors.

Section IV.A quorum will consist of the following:

  1. Iowa FFA Alumni Association Annual Conference; 50 percent +1 of the registered Iowa FFA Alumni Association members present.
  2. Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors meetings; 50 percent +1 of the voting members.

Section V. The minutes of the previous annual meeting will be published and presented to the delegates when they register and thus will not need to be read at the annual meeting.

Section VI.Voting – Voting for items of business (not elections) for any regular or special board of directors meetings may be done by using the following methods: in person, e-mail, conference call, telephone, text message, or web conferencing.

ARTICLE IX

Committees

Section I.The Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall have the following standing committees:

A.Finance

B.Awards

C.Membership/Member Services/Volunteerism

D.Public Relations/Marketing

E.Resolutions and Bylaws

F.Program of Activities

Section II.These committees shall be served by a chairperson from theIowa FFA Alumni Board of Directorsappointed by theIowa FFA Alumni Association President.

Section III.These standing committees must report on their activities at each Iowa FFA Alumni Boardof Directors meeting.

Section IV. TheIowa FFA Alumni President has the authority to create special committees and appoint Iowa FFA Alumni members to those committees.

ARTICLE X

Administrative Staff

Section I.The Executive Director of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be recommended by the Executive Committee for confirmation by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Section II.The Executive Director shall:

A.Serve as an Ex-officio, non-voting member of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

B.Be responsible for the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors’ meeting minutes.

Section III.Title and position description of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Director shall be approved by the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors and maintained by the Executive Director.

Section IV.Compensation for the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Director shall be recommended to the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Board of Directors by the Executive Committee.

Section V.All Iowa FFA Alumni Association Staff shall follow the policies of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.

ARTICLE XI

Dues

Section I.The annual dues of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be recommended by the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors and fixed by majority vote of members present at the annual meeting. A “Life Membership” established by the National FFA Alumni shall also be recognized as an acceptable form of membership.

A. The State Board of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association will allow Affiliation Membership for state dues upon majority vote of the State Board of Directors.

Section II.The state life dues of the Iowa FFA Alumni Association shall be recommended by the Iowa FFA Alumni Board of Directors and fixed by a majority vote of members present at the annual meeting. State life dues are paid one time by members in the year that they pay for their life membership to the National FFA Alumni.

Section III.Dues shall be paid to the Iowa FFA Alumni Association Executive Director by the date of the Iowa FFA Alumni Conference.

ARTICLE XII

National FFA Alumni Council

Individuals seeking to run for a position with the National FFA Alumni Council must first gain alumni board approval prior to applying for the position. They must be approved by a majority vote at an executive board meeting.